Seasonal and Holiday Favorites

Now is about the time I start to think of holiday meal planning and I’m often swapping recipes and ideas with friends and family. Here’s a list of a few of my seasonal and holiday favorites from the archives. Happy Holidays! Much love, peace and happiness to you. ~ Martine

SAVORYWalnut and Mushroom Pâté– For holiday entertaining, I love serving a flavorful pâté for guests to nibble on while they mingle before the main meal. This one is simple to make and sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Exotic Mushroom Pâté – Similar to the pâté above, this is also a crowd pleaser, it’s just not as easy to make. Both mushroom pâtés can be served with sliced apples, pears, endive leaves or gougères (recipe linked below).

Adzuki Butternut Squash Soup – Adzuki beans are a nutritional powerhouse and they pair nicely with butternut squash for this stew-like soup.

Black-Eyed Peas with Greens – Spiced with Indian flavors, this is a global twist on a Southern US tradition. In the South, eating black-eyed peas with greens and cornbread on New Years Day is said to bring lots of luck and wealth in the new year. For an Ethiopian twist, try this version of Spicy Black-Eyed Peas with Greens.

Rustic Parsnip Soup – Creamy, earthy and Indian-spiced, this soup is made with parsnips and sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes).

Golden Lentil Soup– A family favorite this time of year. Golden in color, warming, curry-spiced coconut broth thickened with golden lentils, yellow split peas and garbanzo beans, this soup is full of fabulous flavor and texture. We never tire of it.

Vanilla Mashed Sweet Potatoes – A definite holiday and seasonal favorite in my home! Sweet potatoes are mashed (puréed) with a deliciously warm and zesty addition of vanilla and orange zest. The original recipe uses heavy cream, I’ve adapted it to use plant milk for a vegan option.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Buckwheat Tart – Here the crust is made from toasted buckwheat (kasha), ground nuts (hazelnuts and almonds), almond butter, and a hint of cocoa butter to help keep it all together. It’s heavenly.

Pumpkin and White Chocolate Cream Puffs – A little more labor intensive, these decadent little puffs are filled with a seasonably flavored and delicate sweet cream, and can be served with a small dollop of ice cream for dessert or with a warm cup of tea.

If you have a few holiday favorites, please share in the comment section below. Again, Happy Holidays!

Welcome

I’m Martine. Welcome to my site about the art of living well. I'm a global public health professional who loves to travel and cook and to me, cooking is one of the most interesting ways to bring the world home. It's also a wonderful metaphor for life as it requires an open mind, patience, flexibility and humility. I enjoy developing and sharing whole-food, plant-based recipes inspired by a love and appreciation of different cultures, healthy lifestyles, and cuisines from around the world. My greatest inspiration? My little guy you see in the photo above. I aspire to raise a happy, healthy and kind "petit" citizen of the world.